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With its confluence of art, history, and architecture, the city of Philadelphia is a visual feast. Following are a few snapshots captured in Center City, Philadelphia, throughout the course of an early September afternoon/evening. Little Boy in a Big City Liberty Bell Doorway in Elfreth’s Alley (Oldest Street in the Nation) Life Size Chess Piece As Public Art Love’s Park Plaza Twin Cranes Near Reading Terminal The Marquee for Reading Terminal, A Year Round Indoor Farmers’ Market Construction in Olde […]

Visiting the Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington, D.C., one is greeted by numerous colorful buildings and several striking murals. One of these murals, stationed above the now-defunct Cafe Toulouse, portrays a mysterious and proud-looking man wearing a floppy black hat and a red scarf. Who is this fellow and what on earth is he doing so brazenly adorned upon a brick wall in America’s capital city? Come to find out, the image is a replica of an Art Nouveau portrait created by […]

This is one of the murals commissioned by the Philadelphia Mural Arts program, the largest public art organization in the U.S., linking artists with neighborhoods to beautify public spaces. The mural transforms an otherwise drab brick facade into a veritable masterpiece. The Birth of Venus sculpture at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A few feet to the left of “The Birth of Venus,” one finds Venus and Cupid. Jupiter and Callisto painting (detail). Wednesday Nights are “Pay What You Wish” […]

The title of this post is adapted from a 1929 magazine article, “Paint and Powder,” wherein Zelda Fitzgerald writes: “If our women gave up decorating themselves we would have to turn sad eyes on the bleak telegraph wires, the office buildings, like homes of trained fleas, the barren desolateness of city streets at dusk, and realize too late that almost the only beauty in this busy, careless land, whose every acre is littered with the waste of day before yesterday, […]

This post is dedicated to our lovely feathered friends, who are truly quite stunning creatures, when you really stop to think about it. The first photo in this series was captured last weekend in Ocean City, New Jersey, where the seagulls practically outnumber the beachgoers. The following photo features a seagull soaring over an uprooted tree awash in the murky waters of the Mississippi River, just south of Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This little guy (or girl) is […]

As far as American East Coast cities go, Philadelphia sometimes gets a bad rap. But the longer I live here, the more I realize how much beauty surrounds me everywhere. Sure there is poverty, violence, and urban decay . . . but these things co-exist with murals, music, and vibrant urban markets. For those who might otherwise refuse to give Philly a second glance, take a closer look and you may find that this city is definitely worth a visit.

The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program was founded in 1986 as a way to beautify Philadelphia and discourage graffiti. In the past three decades, hundreds of murals have gone up all over the city. The caption in the mural above reads “If your heart is open, love will find its way in.” And yes, you read that correctly: Jane Seymour, the woman who once portrayed Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, helped create the mural in question (along with artist Cathleen Hughes). And, […]